


Mother's Day

by natascha_ronin



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family, Mother's Day, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 01:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6779749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natascha_ronin/pseuds/natascha_ronin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some reflections on Mother's Day and what the day means to the characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mother's Day

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

Emma looked up from the screen on the card reader. The drug store cashier handed her the bag that contained her purchase of mascara, twizzlers, and pantyhose. She stood, stunned, while he plopped it down in front of her, clearly impatient with her standing there staring. 

“Uh – um. Thank you.” She swiped the bag and walked out of the sliding glass doors, sitting down heavily in the seat of her car. She closed her eyes and imagined him now. She stopped staring at kids his age years ago, but every once in awhile, he comes back to haunt her. 

He’d be nine now. Celebrating a woman who probably had it all together, smiling at him as he walked in the door from school. Little handprint gifts from school, or maybe a card with sloppy handwriting. Did he have Neal’s eyes, or hers? Light brown hair like his father, or blonde? 

Even worse, Mother’s Day was hollow for her, not just because of him, but because of her. Her own mother, stopping by the side of the road and not even bothering to hand her to a _person._ Some kid found her. She could’ve been run over, rained on, attacked by wild dogs…hell. The closest she got to a mom was Ingrid, the crazy lady who wanted to adopt her and go all Hand that Rocks the Cradle on her. Freak.

She turned the key in the ignition and put the car in reverse. The liquor store held the answer to this problem. Mother’s Day would be spent at the bottom of a wine bottle this year. Screw that. 

 

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

Mary Margaret smiled at the mayor, Regina, as she walked down the sidewalk. The woman had a young boy now, adopted, if she could remember right. She had seen them that morning ordering breakfast. The mayor had reached across the booth at Granny’s to ruffle her son’s hair. 

The sight had struck her as poignant, making her sad for really no reason at all. 

The mayor stopped abruptly on the sidewalk, head turning to catch Mary Margaret’s eye. Something about the way she looked at her sent a chill up her spine. 

Oh, well. Someone must have just walked over her grave.

“Enjoy your day, Madam Mayor.” She smiled and nodded back to the woman who stood stunned on the pavement.

 

“Happy Mother’s Day.” 

Emma looked up from the computer screen to see Henry with a handful of dandelions extended out to her. Her eyes went wide. 

“I’m supposed to be spending the day with the Ev—my mom tomorrow, but I thought you might like to have these.” He placed them on the desk. “Here.”

They were already halfway wilted, and a pink piece of yarn was tied around them. Still, she was speechless. 

He turned to leave the station, a smile on his face. She struggled to say something. 

“I thought about you.” She clenched her eyes shut as he turned around, his backpack making him look like a turtle. “Whenever I’d see kids about your age. I thought about you, Henry.”

“You did?” He looked hopeful. 

“Yeah, kid.” Emma nodded. “I used to wonder what you looked like.” She remembered that hope once, too. Wondering who you looked like, looking at strangers to see if they were your mom or dad. Hoping someone would notice you and hold you and never let you go again.

Henry smiled tentatively. “I used to wonder what you looked like, too.” 

Her heart crashed in her chest, tears welling in her eyes. She looked back at the computer screen so he wouldn’t see. “Am I everything you hoped for?” She snarked, hoping the comment would push him back toward whatever he was supposed to be doing. She was still on shaky ground with him, even if she wanted to be a part of his life for good.

“All that and more, Emma.” He caught her eye and smiled, then turned again to leave. If Regina caught him here, they’d both be toast, so she let him go.

Emma bit down on her pencil, looking at the clock. She had to meet August later to figure out what was up with him. She thought about Mary Margaret, and Henry’s assertion that she was Emma’s mom. Maybe she should talk to Gold about Regina, figure this mess out. It was giving her a headache.

 

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

Snow looked up from the baby sleeping in her arms to see Henry and Emma standing at the foot of her bed. Her life had been nothing but him for the past several days, sleeping and still feeling tired, the agony of her milk coming in. It was everything she didn’t experience with Emma, and she was caught in limbo between the beauty and grief in being a mother, fully, finally. 

“Oh, Emma. Henry.” She smiled, tears already tracking down her face. She never thought she’d see Emma again. She had hoped, but in those last moments with her step-mother reigning in Emma’s nursery, the wardrobe empty, and cursed clouds swirling around them, her husband appearing to be dead, she had despaired.

She always remembered the minute she decided to give Emma up, to put her in the wardrobe. It was the most terrible, grievous moment of her life. If there was one thing she didn’t want back with her memories, it was that horrifying feeling of cold water sinking through her when David took her daughter, her newborn baby, out of their bedroom. 

She swallowed down the rest of her tears, and took in her now grown daughter with a son of her own. She had speculated since the curse had been broken that Emma gave Henry up because she herself didn’t know a mother’s love. Now, it was up to Snow to give her that love, to show her she could be a good mother to Henry. 

“So, does he have a name yet?” Henry pushed back the blanket to show his face. 

The name formed in her mind, but didn’t quite take hold yet. She smiled down at her grandson. “Not yet. Be patient.”

 

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

Emma stood at the bottom of the steps, awestruck at the display in front of her. Pink and purple streamers hung throughout the whole downstairs of the house. Killian and Henry beamed from the kitchen table, which was laden with pancakes, eggs, bacon. She smelled coffee, and smiled. 

“How did you do all of this?” She walked over to them and hugged them both. Henry was almost as tall as Killian now. Killian kissed her forehead and brushed her hair back. 

“Well, Henry told me about this day in your realm to honor mothers.” He grinned from ear to ear. “The rest was semantics.”

“I made the pancakes, mom.” Henry ushered her to a chair and she sat down. A vase of flowers sat in the middle of the table in front of her. 

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at them both, seated on either side of her. She reached out with both hands to grab Killian’s hook and Henry’s hand. She gave each of them a watery smile.

“Thank you both.” 

Killian rivaled Bashful with his blushing smile, and Henry released her hand to spear a few pancakes for himself. 

“Dig in.” Killian passed her the plate of bacon. “Your boy won’t stand on ceremony.”

She smiled at that. _Your boy._ Had it really been only a few years since Henry found her? It was amazing how much had changed. 

 

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

Regina stood at her sister’s side, card in hand, watching her rock her daughter in the old chair in her nursery. The old farmhouse had more than enough room to accommodate the three of them overnight, so she had stayed with Zelena and her niece. Henry was staying with Emma and Killian, but he promised to have dinner with her later. 

“Thank you, Regina.” Zelena set the sleeping babe down in her bassinet, and reached out to take the card from her sister. "Happy Mother's Day to you as well." Their interactions were tenuous, bittersweet these days. 

Regina thought of Roland, and Marian, doubting he’d even remember her or Regina in a few years’ time. Still, this was for the best for everyone. If Regina ever expected her heart to heal, she had to be there for her family and not push her sister away. After all, her daughter was part of Robin. 

She embraced her sister, tears in both of their eyes. This was the way back, she thought. This was the way back to family.


End file.
